Sustainability Spotlight - June 2013

The newsletter of the University of Kansas Center for Sustainability. This issue focuses on the Oread Project, Lot 54 reconstruction, Staff Fellows, and Alta Gracia at the KU Bookstore.

June 2013
Oread Project Integrates Sustainability into the Classroom
By Jeff Severin, Director, KU Center for Sustainability
The University of Kansas has launched The Oread Project, a new program to help faculty from
across campus redesign an existing course – or create a new course – to incorporate sustainability
content. Fourteen faculty representing 4 different Schools participated in the project’s inaugural 2day workshop in May. The workshop was sponsored by the Office of the Provost, and led by Stacey
White, Chair of the Urban Planning Department and Director of Academic Programs for the Center
for Sustainability.
The workshop allowed participants to explore sustainability concepts and pedagogical approaches
through presentations, activities, and group discussions. Activities included: presentations from
campus and community resources on using the Campus Sustainability Plan, Building Sustainable
Traditions, as a starting point for course
projects;
connecting
sustainability
with
initiatives;
and
community
integrating
‚flipped learning,‛ a practice that involves
putting lecture materials online to allow more
time in the classroom for hand-on learning,
problem solving and discussion. Participants
also spent time exploring outdoor spaces on
campus, including a walk to the Prairie Acre
led by Professor and Kansas Biological
Services Senior Scientist Kelly Kindscher.
Oread Project participants will use the
summer to revise an existing syllabus or
create a syllabus for a new course offering.
KU Center for Sustainability
Oread Project participants visit the Prairie Acre with
guide Kelly Kindscher.
Page 1
1
June 2013
Upon completion, they will receive a $1000 stipend that can be used for academic purposes,
including conference travel, books, and other resources that support development of the course.
One such course will be taught this summer. Associate Professor Bonnie Johnson is applying her
experience with the Oread Project to developing the Infrastructure Management course in Public
Administration. The course will examine city infrastructure through the lens of sustainability.
Students will tours examples of sustainable infrastructure on campus and in the community, and
discuss possible improvements on campus.
Participating in the workshop helped Johnson expand her thinking about how to evaluate whether
something was ‚sustainable,‛ and how different disciplines and professions view sustainability.
‚Anyone who has thought about teaching sustainability is pretty quickly confronted by the
different meanings and interpretations of the topic,‛ Johnson said. ‚The Oread Project brought
together professors from all over campus and I was able to hear them talk about and explain what
‘sustainability’ means in their disciplines, from petroleum engineering to anthropology to design to
business to sociology.‛
Johnson plans to build on that experience when discussing the range of professionals city managers
work with, including engineers, public administrators, city planners, accountants, contract
managers, architects, landscape architects, elected officials, and citizens. ‚I can use what I learned
to help students think about sorting through how all these different experts and laymen might
imagine sustainability differently and how we can bring those ideas together collaboratively – just
like we did at the Oread Project workshop.‛
Similarly, the Oread Project aims to create new opportunities for faculty to work collaboratively on
sustainability-related courses and research.
Paul Stock, Assistant Professor of Sociology, was
excited by the opportunity to meet faculty engaged with sustainability in their teaching through the
workshop. ‚I look forward to working with colleagues around campus in new ways,‛ he said. ‚I'm
hopeful that the course on food I'm proposing can include assignments and contributions from
people around campus excited about the same themes.‛
In addition to encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration on campus, the Oread Project is designed
to contribute to the goals of Bold Aspirations and the resulting strategic initiatives. Sustainability is a
common thread running through the KU Strategic Initiative areas, which set priorities for research
investment. The project also addresses Goal #6 of the new KU Core, which states that KU students
will ‚Gain the ability to integrate knowledge and think creatively,‛ skills inherent to sustainability
education. ‚No matter their major, graduates of the University of Kansas will pursue careers in
KU Center for Sustainability
Page 2
2
June 2013
which sustainability is a key element,â&#x20AC;&#x203A; said White. The Oread Project is therefore a way to provide
students with the knowledge and skills they will need for their future careers, and faculty with a
way to develop new teaching approaches and possible research activity.
The Oread Project is modeled after the Ponderosa Project at Northern Arizona University and the
Piedmont Project at Emory University. White attended a training workshop at Emory in January of
this year to learn how to apply this model at KU.
Lot 54 to Get a Green Renovation
By Jeff Severin, Director, KU Center for Sustainability
It seems that about anywhere you travel in Lawrence this summer, you will run into road
construction. This is especially true on campus, as the first
phase of rehabilitation of Jayhawk Boulevard is under way,
along with the reconstruction of Parking Lot 54 at 15th Street
and Naismith Drive. And while parking lots are not the
epitome of sustainability, Lot 54 will be a showcase of
sustainable strategies when it is completed this fall.
The new Lot 54 will feature a slate of stormwater
management practices including pervious pavement to allow
rainwater to percolate into soil below, and bioswales and
underground storage to slow, treat, and infiltrate runoff. The
landscaping on the south end of the lot will also include a
raingarden that will be planted by student volunteers in the
fall.
In addition to enhanced stormwater management features,
the design includes elements to reduce the heat island effect,
an increase in ambient air temperatures that results from
heat absorbed by streets, parking lots, and rooftops. Instead
of black asphalt, the lot will be constructed with longer-life
concrete, which will have a high albedo, or reflectivity.
Shade trees will also be planted in densely landscaped
islands in the parking lot, which will not only address the
heat island effect but aid in storm water management.
KU Center for Sustainability
Page 3
3
June 2013
Even the lighting in the parking lot will be upgraded from conventional metal halide lights to
energy-efficient LEDs. The new fixtures are expected to reduce electricity consumption by 50%.
Although the construction has already contributed to the loss of trees in and around the lot, KU
Facilities Services will process removed timber for firewood at the Chamney kiln and wood chips
for landscaping. And asphalt millings, a construction sign, light poles, and an emergency call
station will be reused in reconstructing the lot.
Funding for the project is being provided by KU Parking & Transit and a Kansas Department of
Health and Environment loan with ‚principle forgiveness‛, essentially a grant with a small amount
of interest payment. Additional support for the project is being provided by The City of Lawrence to
assist with replacement of sanitary sewer lines under the parking lot that have to be upgraded. The
Revolving Green Loan Fund Committee has committed funding toward the cost of upgrading
lighting.
Staff Fellows Deadline Approaching
By Sara Vancil, Assistant Director, Financial Aid & Scholarships
As a fellow Sustainability Ambassador, I wanted to give you a special heads up that the application
process for the Staff Fellows Program has gone live. If you’re considering applying for the program,
I encourage you to start thinking about it now.
I participated during the 2011-2012 cohort and would be happy to answer any questions about
it. Please note that both University Support Staff and Unclassified Professional Staff are encouraged
to apply. Information about the program can be found here: http://academicaffairs.ku.edu/stafffellows This is a fabulous professional development opportunity and while it does take a time and
energy commitment, I think it is worth it!
In addition, when you participate, there is an opportunity to get involved in projects with your cohort. I don’t believe any projects have been taken on yet that have any sort of sustainability focus
but this could be that year!
You may preview the application by clicking on the Blue ‚Apply Now‛ box and logging in. In addition to the online application and resume, a letter of support from your supervisor is also required. I am serving this year as an alumna on the Recruiting & Application Review subcommittee, so please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the program.
The application deadline will be Wednesday, July 10.
KU Center for Sustainability
Page 4
4
June 2013
KU Bookstore and Socially Aware Company “Alta Gracia”
Form Partnership
By Blaine Bengtson, Intern, KU Center for Sustainability
The University of Kansas Bookstore now carries apparel made by the socially aware textile company
Alta Gracia. According to the organization’s director of marketing Ripp Scott, Alta Gracia provides
jobs for citizens in the Dominican Republic where the unemployment rate is nearly 90%. More importantly the company pays its employees a ‚living wage.‛ In the Dominican Republic, the Worker
Rights Consortium (WRC) defines a ‚living wage‛ as three times that of the Dominican Republic
minimum wage. The company is certified by the WRC which is an organization with standards for
encouraging and monitoring company policies that fall in line with the definition of a ‚living wage‛
and a safe and healthy workplace. Factory workers’ lives change with their ability to sufficiently
feed their families, build homes, and even send their children to school for an education.
The KU student organization known as United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), which recently received a Social Justice Sustainability Leadership Award, was important in spurring the necessary change in KU Bookstore apparel. The group of students worked with KU Bookstores and other
University entities to make sure the Bookstore provided consumers with some viable, socially equitable products.
So the next time you find yourself needing a new sweatshirt for football games or a new t-shirt to
wear in Allen Fieldhouse, support Alta Gracia and its efforts to create a more equitable world. Don’t
forget to thank the KU Bookstore for carrying their products. For more information about Alta Gracia, visit the organization’s website: http://altagraciaapparel.com/
Interested in Becoming a Sustainability Ambassador?
Serve as a Sustainability Ambassadors for your departments, administrative
units, or student organizations. The ambassador network strives to create a
more sustainable KU through generating new ideas, establishing partnerships,
and sharing information about sustainable research and practices with the
campus community. For more information visit www.sustainability.ku.edu/
ambassadors or email sustainability@ku.edu.
KU Center for Sustainability
Page 5
5
June 2013
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis
of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age,
ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation,
marital
status,
parental
status,
gender
identity,
gender
expression and genetic information in the University’s programs
and activities. The following person has been designated to
handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and
Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A,
Lawrence, KS 66045, (785) 864-6414, 711 TTY.
Join Us
For more information about sustainability at KU, visit
www.sustainability.ku.edu like us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/KUSustainability, or follow us on
Twitter @SustainKU.
KU Center for Sustainability
Campus Rain Garden Work Day
It’s that time of year again. The Center for
Sustainability and the Campus Garden Advisory Board
are holding a summer maintenance work day in the
Campus Rain Garden on Friday, June 21st from 9:00 AM
to 11:00 AM. Continuing the efforts of the spring
maintenance day, activities will include trimming old
growth and digging out invasive species. We would
like to complete as much maintenance as possible
before the summer’s hottest months of July and August.
Please email sustainability@ku.edu if you are interested
in helping.
Contribute
Is your department or organization contributing to a
more sustainable KU? We’d love to hear about it and
include your efforts in our next issue of the Spotlight!
Send submissions to sustainability@ku.edu.
Page 6
6
June 2013
KU Recycling collects the following materials at most locations.
OFFICE PAK
ALUMINUM CANS
Includes:
White Paper
Pastel Colored Paper
Brochures
Stapled Books
Envelopes
Manila File Folders
Junk Mail
Greeting Cards
Heavy Weight Paper
Does Not Include:
Newsprint
Cardboard or Chipboard
Paper or Styrofoam Cups
Napkins of Tissues
Food Contaminated Paper
Magazines or Glossy Paper
Books with Glued Binding
Paper Bags
Includes:
Aluminum cans ONLY
Steel or Tin Cans
STEEL CANS
Includes:
Steel (tin) cans ONLY
NEWSPAPER
Includes:
All Newsprint
Does Not Include:
Magazines or Glossy Paper
Phone Books or Catalogs
CORRUGATED CARDBOARD
Includes:
Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
Corrugated Packaging
Does Not Include:
Soiled Pizza Boxes
Waxy Cardboard
Any boxes that have food
contamination
CHIPBOARD
Includes:
Other Paperboard Packaging
Does Not Include:
Corrugated Cardboard
MAGAZINES
Includes:
Magazines
Glossy Paper
Does Not Include:
Aluminum Cans
Bottles of any kind
Sheet or Scrap Metal
TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES &
CATALOGS
Includes campus and municipal phone
books and catalogs with similar construction (heavy-weight cover with
newspaper-like pages)
Mixed Paper
Grades of paper not listed above, including
journals, hard-back books and glue-bound
books should be recycled separately from
other materials.
Shredded Paper
Does Not Include:
Junk Mail
Phone Directories
#1â&#x20AC;&#x201D; #7 PLASTICS
Any #1-#7 plastic (salad bar take-out, plastic packaging etc)
KU Center for Sustainability
Does Not Include:
Foil Food Wrappers
Bags of shredded paper should be tied shut to
close bag completely. Do not put shredded
overheads or any other type of plastics in with
the shredded office pak. DO NOT put shredded paper in, or stack on top of or next to the
regular recycling bins. Instead, contact KU
Recycling for a special collection.
Page 7
7